Having been through a seven-week federal criminal “pill mill” trial, I think a lot about enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act and its effect on physicians. Aggressive enforcement effects others in healthcare as well, including management: “It’s very hard for medical professionals and those in upper management, such as hospital CFOs, CEOs, and CMOs, to see themselves as criminals,” says Jack Sharman, partner at Lightfoot, Franklin, and White, a law firm headquartered in Birmingham, AL. “This difficulty to perceive what someone else might think merits a criminal investigation impedes judgment and slows internal response.” While physicians might not see themselves as criminals for managing patients’ pain or making sure they…